Improvement in sewing-machines



UNITED .STATES H. B. SMITH, or Lowa-LL, MASSACHUSETTS.

iMPR'ovsMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.-

Speciicatiou forming pnrt of Letters Patent No. 12,247, dated January 1.6, 1855.

-To ZZ whom it 11mg/ concern:

. Beit knownthat I, HEZEKIAH B. SMITH, of Lowell, in the couuty of Middlesex.` and .State of Massachusetts, have invented a' new and useful Sewing-Machine for Sewingr a Through-and-'Ihrough or Back Stitch; and I hereby declare that the following specification and the drawings accompanying it constitute al full, clear, and exact description of my inven. tionand the manner of const ructi ng and using the same. e

In the said drawings the letters of refer-y ence refer-to vlike parts in each of the several iigures, and in referring to therny Figure 1 denotes a perspective view; Fig. 2, an end elevation; Fig. 3, a longitudinal and .vertical section at A B of Fig. 2,and showing the parts beyond. Fig. 4 denotesna top view of the arm and linger for pulling through the thread. Fig. 5 denotes two views of a fullsized needle. Fig. 6 denotesaneedle of double the full size, as shown at' Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a View of the plane of the periphery of one of the driving-cams. Fig. 8 is a plan and elevation of one of the driving-cams as disconnected 'from the`n1achine. Fig. 9 shows a planvand edge view of one of the cams that operate the needle-levers, one of these cams being attached 4by adjustable set-screws to. each of the driving-cams, 'a's hereinafter described.

rIhe nature of my invention consists of asewing-machine which is Ihereinafter fully described, it being so constructed .and operated that it will sew in clothor other substances what is termed the throughan d-through77 'or' back stitch, usingifor thatv purpose a twothread', and this thread 'bein g drawn in to form the stitch by the elastic iingen'which'is-revolved on an arm, or otherwise moved so ,as vto take ythe'thread and carry it forward suflicient to draw upthe stitches, aiidthen letl go of n the thread after the needle has been carried and properly through the cloth at every stitch or ever other stitch, as may be required. v

Io enable persons skilled in the art of making and using sewing-machines to make, lconstruct, and carry out my invention, I will describe the same as follows:

I construct a table of iron, as seen at A A, support it upon iron legs, as seen at B.

To the table A, I attach two substantial iron bearings or boxes, as seen at M, and to them is fitted a wroughteiron driving-shaft, as seen at C, to one end of which is fitted and fastened a crank-wheel, as seen at Z, to which the vpower,

is applied to drive the machine. At the opposite end of the shaft Gis fit-ted a bevel-gear, asseen at L, which gears into anotherbevel-` gear one-half itssize, as seen at K, which is fitted andfastened to the upright shaft, as seen at D. The upper end of this shaft revolves in the iron stand, as seen at m,- which constitutes. the upper bearings for it, andthe lower bearing for thisshaft'D is in the plate A.

n To the lower end of the upright shaft D, andl near'its lupper end, are iitted and held by adjustable set-screws the two driving-cams, as

seen at E. These cams arc grooved, as shown in the drawings, for the purpose of operating the driving-levers by means of the' frictionpulleys, which revolve on the pin R and turn in the grooves of the iron driving-cams E.-

At-G can be seen -the needle-levers,which are iirnily connected to the working arms or jaws H, which should be made of steel, for the purpose of seizing and holding the needle by thepperation of the cain, asl seen at Fig. 9, 'one-of these cams being iitted tothe lower end 'of the upper driving-cani, and another of them being fitted to t-h'e upper end of the lower drivingfca'm, as may bc seen in the drawings.

There should be holes drilled i'n the front end of the driving-levers F of sufficient size to receive the needle, and the upper part of this hole should be drilled or reained of a f. larger diameter than the lower part of it, and

into which is fitted a .piece of rawhide, as seen at I, and this can be set down, as it wears, by

the set-screwsJ. This ,hide is placed in the lever for the pnrposeof receiving the shock of the point of the needle, and prevent dulling itas it carried from one driving-lever through the cloth and hole a in the plate A to the other lever, and' so on." The .driving-lcvers,F turn at Q.

l admit the jaw H, for the purpose of holding caused by the spring l) pressing i the machine.

or swing on the pivots, as seen at N, these l pivots being tted to projections on the plate A., and held fast'by the set-screws, as seen at O in the drawings. 'The cams which opera-te the needle=levers G, and one of which is seen at Fig. 9, are screwed to theunder part of the upper driving-cam and `to the top of the lower driving-cani. The screws passing through the A slots in the cams, as seen at Fig. 9, are for the purpose of so adjusting them on the drivingcams as to operate the levers G- in harmony with the other parts ofthe machine. The needle-levers G are firmly secured to the jaw H by means ot' the adj ustable set-screws, as seen In thelower part ofi-lie front of the drivii'ig-levers the metal is removed suflicient to and carrying the needle by pressing it between this jaw H and a portion of the driving-lever with which it comes in contact. The pressurc` on the Y jawy H for holding the needle is against the needle-lever G, which will be -readily under? stood byinspection of the drawings, the vspring being for the purpose of holding the needle when it is being'drawn through the cloth,and the projection on the cains, as seen at y Fig. 9 is for removingthis pressure by the revolving of these cams just before the opposite drivinglcvcr takes the needle from it.

The needles can be constructed by sawing a slit through a piece of steel plate of the thickness of the de'sired needle, thenI heatingA this plate and set the slit together, as seen at X, Figs. 5 and 6, and then rounding and pointing the needle at' both ends,I and-afterward groove it nearly its entire length, as seen at the section A B of Fig. 6'. This groove is made for the purpose of receiving the thread as it is carried through the cloth, so as to enlarge the holes in it as little as possible.

The needle "W, as shown in the drawings, is curved, so as to be parallel with a curved line described from the center of motion ofthe driving-levers, which will be readily understood to be necessary for thc'purposc of operating Having now described the construction of the parts for operating the needle and the needle itselffl will now describe the other parts olI my machine. j

At d can be seen a rod, which is so ittedto the front portion of the stand m that it inay slide up and down when required. At the lowerv end of this rod-is fitted a foot-piece, b for holding -the cloth down 'upon the feed wheel as it is being fed forward and backward to be sewed.

Between the foot-piece' and the lower end of v. the stand m, Ipla'ce a spiral spring, to hold this foot-piece down, and inthe top of the rod 1,1 place an eccentric lever, c, which turns 011 'a pin near the t'op of the rod. By turning` it back, as seen in the drawings, the spiral spring on thc lower part of the rod d willforee the r foot b downupon thecloth, and byturning On the shaft C, I fit a cam made of brass, as Y seen at e, which, as it revolves, operates the niain feed-lever, which is inade of brass, as seen at f, theout end of it being kept upward by the' spring g, andthe out end of the lever f isstopped in the right position to give the,y

required stitch bythe adjustable set-screw l1.. One end ofthe main feed-lever f is attached to the rocker-shaft, as. seen-at fi, and near to thesopposite end of this shaft istted the ratchet-lever p, in which are placed the upper and lower ratchets or dogs, o, for operating the wheels k and j. V j For the purpose of ilaising the upper ratchet or dog, o, out of the toothed wheel'when the' lower dog is carrying forward this toothed wheel, I placeon the rocker-shaft 'i a frictionlever, as seen at tu., the lower end of which is connected to the rod s, and this rod belng connected to one end of the secondary feed-levers r, and the otherend of this feed-lever is connected to the lower end'of the connecting-rodl V, andthe upper endvof this rod V is connected to theupper ratchetor dog o, as seen' in dotted lines at Fig. 2. j

` By referring to the drawings. it can be seen that the steel finger Y is so constructed as tol turn on a screw, as seen at Fig. 4. This screw is screwed into a part of the stand S, and under this finger I- place a spiral spring, as seen at V, Fig. This spring is coiled around the outside of the portion of the stand to which the finger Y is screwed, the upper end of this spring passing through the hole drilled through the inner end of the finger Y, and the lower end o f it made fast to the ring U, this ringbeing' adjustable by having a set-screw in it to set it in the required position to' give the proper pressure on `the iinger Y. 1

At T, Figs. 3 and 4, can be seen a stop, the lower end of which is screwed to the arm S, and the upper end of it answers for the stopping of the finger Y as it is pressed forward by the spring V, Fig. 4.

Having thus described the construction of my machine, I will now describe the operation of it. i By placing the cloth or other substance to be sewed between the feed-wheel J and the foot b, then open the slit in the needle and insert one end ofthe thread, the other end hav- .inga knot tied'or formed on it, then place the needle W, carrying the thread, in its position in the driving-lever, then apply power to the wheel Z, `so`as to revolve it in the direction that thearrow points,{and every partof the 'machine is 'put in operation, and the needle will be passed from one driving-lever F to the other, carrying the'thread with it and the .finger Y, revolving on the arm S, will draw in the thread, so as to forni th e through-and- Y the thread requiring an increased power, to

l cient to allow the thread to be released from I my claim as follows:

draw in the thread when the stitch is nearly drawn up, and this increased powenacting on the curved part of the finger, overcomes the power of the spring V and turns it suinrhe finger, and then the finger instantly regains-'its former position by' the action of the spring V pressing it back. toward the stop T, as will he seen hy inspecting Fig. 4 of the drawings,- the feednt the same time carrying forward and hack the cloth, so as to give the required length of stitch, Which'will complete the operation of my machine.

Haring 'thus described the construction and operation of my serving-machine, I will state do not claim a two-pointed needle having :in eye in its center, as'this has been patented to J. J. G-reenough. Neither do I claimany other part, device, or thing claimed or patent- .ed insaid Greenoughs patent; hut

What I do claim as my invention is-e.

1. AI slit or fissure formed in a needle, (so

as to be "opened by any proper-pointed instrument and the thread inserted in this fissure, and then nxovedenear to one end of it, then hy removing the pointed instrument the two elastic or spring sides of this` fissure close together and pinch and h`old the thread, so that the needle can he operated to sew a curved or straight seam and a through-and-through o r back stitch,) essentiallyin the manner and for the purposes set forth. 4 l

2. Thefinger Y, lso arranged and operated (on the arm S by means of the spiral spring, the ring to adjustthis spring, and the stop T,- or otherwise) as to dranr the thread.` through the cloth, so as to drawup the stitch, and then let go of the'thread by therevolving or moving of this linger and the arm S or its equivalent, essentially in the manner and for the purposes set forth..

HEZEKIAH n. v sMrrH. Witn esses:

JOHN BENNETT, A. N. BROWN. 

